Seized antiquities handed to police

Some 1,500 artefacts, seized from an unlicensed collector six years ago, have been finally handed over to the Quang Nam provincial authorities to exhibit in the local museum. The artefacts, mostly ceramics, were stored in boxes for most of the period and concerns have been raised that improper storage might have damaged the artefacts.

Local authorities in central Quang Nam Province are concerned about the condition of 1,500 antique artifacts after nearly six years of storage following a police investigation.

The 1,517 pottery artifacts, which were seized from an unlicensed collector in Da Nang City in 2003, were made between 15th and 17th centuries in Chu Dau villages in the present day northern province of Hai Duong.

They were then sealed for storage at Quang Nam Museum by the provincial police who were investigating the case before it was suddenly halted by the local prosecution office in 2004.